Many years ago I complained about something comic book related. To make it less obvious, the thing I was complaining about was the cartoon "Ultimate Spider-Man". When that show ended I had hopes that something more along the lines of "Spectacular Spider-Man" would come along. But no. The newest Spider-Man cartoon simply named "Spider-Man" carries all-to-familiar premise of Peter Parker being a teenager in high school who is just starting out as Spider-Man and has these friends you've always known about and will fight villains you see over and over. Blah! You know what? This is what I'd do if I had to create a new Spider-Man cartoon!
The reason I'm not as upset about this new Spider-Man cartoon being the same old schlock is because of the upcoming Spider-Man game for the Playstation 4. I'll probably end up buying it, not for the gameplay though. You play one Spider-Man game you've played them all. I'm more interested in the plot. Spider-Man is an adult. WHAT? He and Mary Jane are a serious couple. WHAT? Miles Morales has no superpowers and is his assistant. WHAT? And the main villain is Mr. Negative. WHO? Exactly. This game is looking to have the kind of plot I've wanted from a Spider-Man story for the past five years. It took all the conventional Spider-Man BS like school and being young and reusing Venom (who I have a lot to say about in the future) out of the way and is focusing on elements of Spider-Man's character that the films and cartoons don't want to explore. And it's those elements that would drive my cartoon!
The element is the element of TEAM-UPS. See, back in the day there was a book called "Marvel Team-Up" where Spider-Man would team-up with multiple Marvel characters. And yes, DC did something similar with "The Brave & The Bold" and Batman would have a cartoon based on that years later, but Spider-Man is always a character who does well in team-up situations. Some of the best parts of "Ultimate Spider-Man" were the episodes where he'd team-up with other Marvel heroes. And in a TV format this cartoon could star everyone's favorite wallcrawler with a Marvel character they might not know of. And if Spider-Man is an adult it allows him to maintain his youthful attitude and also be the kind of Spider-Man people could aspire to be, rather than one they relate to. So let me briefly go over three episode ideas.
Spider-Man & The Phoenix: Spear Through The Dark
Following her resurrection, Jean Grey of The X-Men has volunteered to investigate an island where Advanced Ideas Mechanics (AIM) are experimenting on mutants. Meeting her there is Spider-Man, who's student Fabio Medina-a closeted mutant-is being held hostage. The two team up and venture through the island, Jean losing control of her powers more and more along the way, almost killing AIM soldiers. Spider-Man must keep her grounded, and do so by reminding her of the mutant lives at risk. Maybe he even allows her access to his memories where he remembers resisting the influence of the Venom symbiot. By the end Spidey and Jean scare AIM off and save the mutants without anyone dying. Jean Grey thanks Spider-Man for being the only hero not to judge her by her past mistakes and helping her "spear through the darkness".
Spider-Man & Black Panther: The Web of Wakanda
Spider-Man is invited to the country of Wakanda to study their technology, only for Black Panther to spring a series of traps of both the technological and mystical means. After fighting Black Panther to a stand-still, King T'Challa tells of a villain named Morlun who is attempting to absorb The Panther God. In order to stop him, Black Panther wanted to exhaust Spider-Man until his totem-The Spider God-possessed him and helped Panther stop Morlun. Spider-Man brushes all that God stuff aside and helps Panther find and defeat Morlun. In the end, Panther tells Spider-Man that whether it be through a Spider God or some miracle of science, as long as he uses his powers for good he is always a welcomed friend of Wakanda.
Spider-Man & Drax: Interstellar Showdown
After helping The Avengers defeat space pirates, Spider-Man ends up getting displaced and wakes up on a planet where the main source of entertainment is fighting. There he meets up with Drax The Destroyer and must fight in a steel-cage style tournament. Cameos from all sorts of Marvel aliens, all being organized by The Champion. Drax and Spider-Man fight countless matches, Spidey losing strength along the way and Drax motivating him into trying harder. The final match sees the two fighting The Gladiator who becomes stronger with confidence, which means Spidey and Drax just break his spirit until he's defeated. When the Champion tries to get in the ring, Spidey and Drax manage to convince him that if he kills them he'll be killing worthy opponents. Drax and The Guardians of The Galaxy give Spidey a lift to Earth where they part ways. When we see the two of them again, Spider-Man is defeating The Rhino with one of Drax's moves, and Drax uses a grappling hook to defeat an alien giant akin to Spider-Man's webbing.
Every episode features a team-up that takes Spider-Man to new places, faces him against new villains, and leaves either him and/or his partner of the week with a lesson. While it does not depend on the viewer knowing everything under the sun about the characters, it doesn't treat any situation lightly. This is an adult Spider-Man helping heroes better themselves the same way those heroes helped him become the hero he is. If every teenaged Spider-Man story is a homecoming, this Spider-Man is a reunion.
Thanks for reading!
And hey, if you want me to pitch more episodes for a show like this comment below or on Facebook or Twitter. Let me know what character Spider-Man should team-up with!
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